NEWS FOR 2/26/2015 Thursday February 26th 2015

OBAMA THE DICTATOR___________________


While the creepy #ILOVEOBAMA continues to trend on Twitter, fewer than half of American adults, 47 percent, say they believe that the president loves his country.

According to a survey conducted by Huffington Post/YouGov and released this week, a whopping 35 percent of Americans, more than one in three, believe that Obama doesn’t love the United States, while 17 percent said they weren’t sure.

The poll was conducted in the wake of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani telling a gathering in Manhattan that “I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America.”

The poll also found that a similar number, only 45 percent, said they think Obama is as patriotic as most other Americans.

When divided along political beliefs, a distinct difference emerges, with 85 percent of Democrats saying they have no cause to question Obama’s patriotism, and only 11 percent of Republicans offering the same opinion.

(Infowars, feb 26th)

http://www.infowars.com/fewer-than-half-of-americans-believe-obama-loves-the-country/



Obama to ban bullets by executive action, threatens top-selling AR-15 rifle

Obama to ban ammo through executive action by labeling bullets “cop killers”

As promised, President Obama is using executive actions to impose gun control on the nation, targeting the top-selling rifle in the country, the AR-15 style semi-automatic, with a ban on one of the most-used AR bullets by sportsmen and target shooters.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives this month revealed that it is proposing to put the ban on 5.56mm ammo on a fast track, immediately driving up the price of the bullets and prompting retailers, including the huge outdoors company Cabela’s, to urge sportsmen to urge Congress to stop the president.

Wednesday night, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, stepped in with a critical letter to the bureau demanding it explain the surprise and abrupt bullet ban. The letter is shown below.

The National Rifle Association, which is working with Goodlatte to gather co-signers, told Secrets that 30 House members have already co-signed the letter and Goodlatte and the NRA are hoping to get a total of 100 fast.

"The Obama administration was unable to ban America's most popular sporting rifle through the legislative process, so now it's trying to ban commonly owned and used ammunition through regulation," said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA-ILA, the group's policy and lobby shop. "The NRA and our tens of millions of supporters across the country will fight to stop President Obama's latest attack on our Second Amendment freedoms."

At issue is so-called “armor-piercing” ammunition, an exemption for those bullets mostly used for sport by AR-15 owners, and the recent popularity of pistol-style ARs that use the ammo.

The inexpensive 5.56 M885 ammo, commonly called green tips, have been exempt for years, as have higher-caliber ammunition that also easily pierces the type of soft armor worn by police, because it’s mostly used by target shooters, not criminals. The agency proposes to reclassify it as armor-piercing and not exempt.

(washington examiner, feb 26th)

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2560750



Obama Dares GOP: Go Ahead, ‘Have a Vote on Whether What I’m Doing Is Legal…I Will Veto’

Pres. Obama is daring Republicans to vote on whether or not his executive actions are legal.

Discussing opposition to his executive amnesty orders at an immigration town hall Wednesday, Obama said he would veto the vote because his actions are “the right thing to do”:

“So in the short term, if Mr. McConnell, the leader of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, want to have a vote on whether what I’m doing is legal or not, they can have that vote.  I will veto that vote, because I’m absolutely confident that what we’re doing is the right thing to do.”

Obama argued that he has merely “expanded my authorities” – not broken any laws:

“What we’ve done is we’ve expanded my authorities under executive action and prosecutorial discretion as far as we can legally under the existing statute, the existing law.  And so now the question is, how can we get a law passed.”

Obama called the “political process” a “separate track”:

So we’re going to have to keep on with the political process on a separate track.  But in the meantime, we’re going to do everything that we can to make sure that we implement executive actions as we’ve discussed.

In addition to these “shortcuts,” the immigration law must be changed, as well, Obama said:

“There are only so many shortcuts.  Ultimately, we have to change the law.  And people have to remain focused on that.”

(MRCTV.org, feb 26th)

http://www.mrctv.org/blog/obama-go-ahead-have-vote-whether-what-i-m-doing-legal-i-will-vet




THE BORDER, IMMIGRATION AND OBAMA______________


Drug Smuggling Tunnel Found After $3 Million Pot Bust on Border

Federal agents discovered an underground tunnel crossing the border into Mexico from Naco, Arizona on Tuesday as part of an investigation after a traffic stop that yielded over two tons of marijuana, with a value of approximately $3 million.

According to a press release by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) got a tip about a large shipment of marijuana being moved. The HSI officers contacted the local Bisbee, Arizona Police Department (BPD), and BPD pulled over a box truck at about 6:30 pm on the outskirts of the city.

A Tucson Sector Border Patrol canine team assisted BPD in the traffic stop, and their dogs alerted to the rear of the truck. When the truck was searched, more than 4,700 pounds of marijuana was found, in stacked bundles. The driver of the box truck was arrested, but authorities had not yet released his name.

Bisbee Police Staff Sergeant Robert Coronado thanked HSI and the Border Patrol for their assistance, saying, “The Bisbee Police Department supports the efforts of its local officers and appreciates the continued support of the U.S. Border Patrol and HSI, which provide assistance on a regular basis.”

Other evidence uncovered by BPD and the Border Patrol led to a warrant being issued to search a residence in nearby Naco, Arizona, which is about 10 miles south of Bisbee and directly on the border with Mexico.

HSI and Border Patrol agents arrived at the Naco residence shortly before dawn on Tuesday and discovered the entrance to a tunnel in a small shed at the edge of the property. A suspect at the residence was also arrested and detained.

Border Patrol’s specially trained tunnel team examined the tunnel, which was highly sophisticated. Investigators found a cement shaft at the entrance, equipped with a hydraulic lift. The corridor to the tunnel on the U.S. side is large enough for an adult to stand upright and is shored-up with wooden supports.

Concerns about air quality in the tunnel stopped investigators from continuing through the tunnel’s full length, but they notified authorities in Mexico, who are working to ascertain where the Mexican entrance to the tunnel is located.

(breitbart, feb 26th)

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2015/02/26/hold-ready-drug-smuggling-tunnel-found-after-3-million-pot-bust-on-border/



Obama: ‘Consequences’ for ICE Officials Who Don’t Follow Executive Amnesty

President Obama warned workers at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: implement executive amnesty, or else. He made the comments in a town hall event on immigration on MSNBC.

(weekly standard, feb 26th)

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-consequences-ice-officials-who-dont-follow-executive-amnesty_866479.html



President Obama’s amnesty juggernaut has taken another step forward despite a federal judge’s order to halt it in its tracks.

The president’s plan to delay the deportation of as many as 5 million illegal aliens through memos issued by appointees moved ahead Tuesday when the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the extension of a program allowing spouses of certain visa holders to obtain work permits.

According to the Washington Times, the move will, in 90 days, allow some 180,000 immigrants to be eligible for the benefit “in the first year.”

“Allowing the spouses of these visa holders to legally work in the United States makes perfect sense,” the newspaper quoted agency chief Leon Rodriguez saying. “It helps U.S. businesses keep their highly skilled workers by increasing the chances these workers will choose to stay in this country during the transition from temporary workers to permanent residents.”

At virtually the same time, U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen, who a week ago ordered federal agencies to stop implementation of the Obama amnesty plan, told plaintiffs in the lawsuit they have until March 3 to provide any additional arguments regarding the government’s request that he reverse his decision.

The order from Hanen came Tuesday in light of the federal government’s emergency motion that seeks permission for the amnesty program to move forward immediately.

(WND, feb 26th)

http://www.wnd.com/2015/02/obamas-amnesty-moves-ahead-despite-judges-order



Obama to Amnesty Beneficiaries: ‘There’s Going to Be a President Rodriguez Someday’

Republicans should stop fighting amnesty, President Obama said on Thursday, because one day a Hispanic will become president.

“Over the long term, this is going to get solved, because at some point there’s going to be a President Rodriguez or there’s going to be a President Chen,” Obama told a Florida International University town hall audience, hosted by Telemundo and MSNBC.

“The country is a nation of immigrants, and ultimately it will reflect who we are and its politics are going to reflect who we are,” Obama continued, implying that neither native-born Americans or legal immigrants have moral standing to determine who enters and stays in the country.

(breitbart, feb 26th)

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/02/26/obama-to-amnesty-beneficiaries-theres-going-to-be-a-president-rodriguez-someday/




U.S. GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AND SCANDALS____________



Emails prove Hillary 'terror' lie in Benghazi

State Department emails released through a lawsuit by Judicial Watch show then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knew while the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi was under way that it was being carried out by terrorists.

Clinton blamed the attack on “rage and violence over an awful Internet video” when she spoke at a ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base on Sept. 14, 2014, as the remains of the four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were returned to the United States.

The emails were made public Thursday by the Washington, D.C., legal watchdog group.

“These emails leave no doubt that Hillary Clinton’s closest advisers knew the truth about the Benghazi attack from almost the moment it happened,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

“And it is inescapable that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knowingly lied when she planted the false story about ‘inflammatory’ material being posted on the Internet,’” Fitton said.

He said the “contempt for the public’s right to know is evidenced not only in these documents, but also in the fact that we had to file a lawsuit in federal court to obtain them.”

“The Obama gang’s cover-up continues to unravel, despite its unlawful secrecy and continued slow-rolling of information,” Fitton said. “Congress, if it ever decides to do its job, cannot act soon enough to put Hillary Clinton, Cheryl Mills and every other official in these emails under oath.”

Fitton criticized the current House Select Committee investigation on Benghazi headed by Rep. Trey Gowdy, R- S.C.

“Never once has Gowdy or the House Select Committee asked Judicial Watch to turn over the many bombshell documents Judicial Watch has obtained from the Obama administration by FOIA request, “ Fitton told WND.

“I would have thought a serious congressional investigation into Benghazi would have started with the documents we had, since Judicial Watch has led in exposing the White House cover-up,” he said.

(WND, feb 26th)

http://www.wnd.com/2015/02/hillary-knew-emails-during-benghazi-attack-reported-terrorism/




Foreign governments, Dictators, Autocrats, Warlords gave millions to Clinton Foundation while Hillary was at State Dept.

The Clinton Foundation accepted millions of dollars from seven foreign governments during Hillary Rodham Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state, including one donation that violated its ethics agreement with the Obama administration, foundation officials disclosed Wednesday.

Most of the contributions were possible because of exceptions written into the foundation’s 2008 agreement, which included limits on foreign-government donations.

The agreement, reached before Clinton’s nomination amid concerns that countries could use foundation donations to gain favor with a Clinton-led State Department, allowed governments that had previously donated money to continue making contributions at similar levels.

The new disclosures, provided in response to questions from The Washington Post, make clear that the 2008 agreement did not prohibit foreign countries with interests before the U.S. government from giving money to the charity closely linked to the secretary of state.

In one instance, foundation officials acknowledged they should have sought approval in 2010 from the State Department ethics office, as required by the agreement for new government donors, before accepting a $500,000 donation from the Algerian government.

(washington post, feb 26th)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/foreign-governments-gave-millions-to-foundation-while-clinton-was-at-state-dept/2015/02/25/31937c1e-bc3f-11e4-8668-4e7ba8439ca6_story.html




State Department’s Director of Counterterrorism Arrested for Trying to Arrange Sex With a Minor

A senior State Department official was arrested on Tuesday on charges of soliciting sex from a minor, according to the AP. Director of Counterterrorism Daniel Rosen was busted in a sting operation by a detective posing as a child online, because life imitates To Catch a Predator.

Rosen was charged with use of a communications device to solicit a juvenile, and shuttled off to jail in D.C.; it's unclear if he's still there or if he's posted bail.

The State Department is already working hard to distance itself from him, with a Department spokeswoman telling Fox News, "His security clearance will be suspended and he will be put on administrative leave while this proceeds to its end through any judicial process." According to what appears to be his LinkedIn profile, Rosen has worked at the State Department since 2008 and is "responsible for all CT Bureau strategic planning, policy planning, program and budget planning and oversight, and legislative relations and interaction."

His professional skills include "foreign policy," "strategic planning" and ..."human rights." Awkward.

(NY Mag, feb 25th)

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/02/state-dept-official-allegedly-solicits-minor.html



Save the Internet: FCC Net Neutrality rules worst example of government intervention... ever

Of all the government interventions by the Obama administration, the plan released Thursday by the Federal Communications Commission to regulate the Internet is the worst.

Yes, ObamaCare is massive and is clogging one-sixth of the economy. But even before ObamaCare, government had a huge imprint on the health care industry with Medicaid and Medicare. Also, regulations on pharmaceutical and insurance industries led to their energies being focused as much on pleasing government bureaucracies as curing illnesses.

But the Internet is young, fresh, alive and untainted. The FCC’s plan to muddy the pure waters of the Internet pollutes the one free flow of information on the planet. And what hurts as much as witnessing the pollution of the Internet with bureaucratic interference? With the exception of the Republican FCC commissioners, most are being blasé about the whole thing.

(fox news, feb 26th)

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/02/26/save-internet-fcc-net-neutrality-rules-worst-example-government-intervention/



Ron Paul on Net Neutrality

Today the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a non-elected federal government agency, voted three-to-two to reclassify broadband Internet as a common carrier service under Title II of the Communications Act. This means that – without the vote of Congress, the peoples’ branch of government – a federal agency now claims the power to regulate the Internet. I am surprised that even among civil liberties groups, some claim the federal government increasing regulation of the Internet somehow increases our freedom and liberty.

The truth is very different. The adoption of these FCC rules on the Internet represents the largest regulatory power grab in recent history. The FCC’s newly adopted rule takes the most dynamic means of communication and imposes the regulatory structure designed for public utilities. Federal regulation could also open the door to de facto censorship of ideas perceived as threatening to the political class – ideas like the troops should be brought home, the PATRIOT Act should be repealed, military spending and corporate welfare should be cut, and the Federal Reserve should be audited and ended.

The one bright spot in this otherwise disastrous move is that federal regulations making it more difficult to use the Internet will cause more Americans to join our movement for liberty, peace, and prosperity. The federal government should keep its hands off of the Internet!

(Ron Paul institute, feb 26th)

http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/peace-and-prosperity/2015/february/26/internet-rip/



Lynch clears committee with three GOP votes

Loretta Lynch cleared a key vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday in her bid to become the nation’s next attorney general, picking up support from three Republicans on the panel in favor of her confirmation.

The vote was 12-8. The three Republicans who backed her nomination, along with all committee Democrats, were Orrin Hatch of Utah, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona.

The next battle is on the Senate floor, where the federal prosecutor from Brooklyn is still expected to have enough GOP backing to be confirmed. But the controversy over President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration have overshadowed her nomination — particularly after her confirmation hearing last month, where she testified that those unilateral moves are legal.

Most GOP senators on the committee stressed that they could not support someone to be the nation’s chief law enforcement official who believes that the executive actions — which Republicans uniformly oppose and say are unconstitutional — are legal.

(Politico, feb 26th)

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/loretta-lynch-attorney-general-committee-vote-115539.html



Loretta Lynch's Secret Prosecutions

The office headed by the woman poised to become the next attorney general has used an unusual method to keep many of its prosecutions hidden from the public, an NBC News investigation has found.

Federal prosecutors in New York's Brooklyn-based Eastern District pursued cases against secret, unnamed "John Doe" defendants 58 times since Loretta Lynch became head prosecutor in May 2010. Two of the 58 are terrorism cases.

Eastern District prosecutors have also sought permission to close the courtroom to the public for 11 different Doe cases during the same period, and judges have granted permission in at least 10 of the cases, as recently as February 12.

Critics are concerned the practice may infringe the Constitution's guarantee of a public trial.

(NBC news, feb 26th)

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/loretta-lynchs-secret-prosecutions-n294666



Republicans confront health chief on secret ObamaCare plan

A Republican House subcommittee chairman is accusing the Obama administration of secretly preparing a fallback strategy if the Supreme Court strikes down a major piece of its healthcare reform law later this year, even as officials publicly maintain that no plan exists.

Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, says federal officials are hiding a roughly 100-page document on the looming court case. The case, King v. Burwell, could cut off ObamaCare subsidies in three-quarters of states and potentially collapse the national marketplace.

Pitts confronted the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about the plan, which he says is being circulated among senior officials, for the first time on Wednesday.

(the hill, feb 26th)

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/233914-gop-chairman-accuses-white-house-of-lying-on-obamacare-backup-plan



Treasury won't explain decision to make $3 billion in Obamacare payments

The U.S. Treasury Department has rebuffed a request by House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R- Wis., to explain $3 billion in payments that were made to health insurers even though Congress never authorized the spending through annual appropriations.

At issue are payments to insurers known as cost-sharing subsidies. These payments come about because President Obama’s healthcare law forces insurers to limit out-of-pocket costs for certain low income individuals by capping consumer expenses, such as deductibles and co-payments, in insurance policies. In exchange for capping these charges, insurers are supposed to receive compensation.

What’s tricky is that Congress never authorized any money to make such payments to insurers in its annual appropriations, but the Department of Health and Human Services, with the cooperation of the U.S. Treasury, made them anyway.

(washington examiner, feb 26th)

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/treasury-wont-explain-decision-to-make-3-billion-in-obamacare-payments/article/2560739



John Boehner Blows Kisses to the Press, Won't Budge on DHS

With less than two days to go before a Homeland Security Department shutdown, John Boehner isn't blinking.

"We passed a bill to fund the department six weeks ago. Six weeks ago!" the House speaker said during a press conference Thursday. "It's time for the Senate to act. How many times do I have to say it?"

Boehner doesn't appear to be going along with his Republican counterparts in the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is looking to avert a shutdown by offering Democrats a clean funding bill for DHS. The speaker would not say whether he would back a Senate funding bill without provisions that would defund President Obama's executive actions on immigration. At one point, Boehner blew kisses at reporters after they asked whether he would.

McConnell had attempted to push through a House-passed funding bill four times, but Senate Democrats blocked it each time because of the immigration language.

"Yesterday, the White House press secretary said that this was a fight amongst Republicans. It is not a fight amongst Republicans," Boehner said on Thursday. "All Republicans agree that we want to fund the Department of Homeland Security and we want to stop the president's actions in response to immigration."

McConnell and Boehner spoke with each other on Wednesday for the first time in two weeks. Boehner now has two options: amend the Senate legislation to include immigration language and send it back, or bring a vote to the floor in hopes of avoiding a shutdown.

On Thursday, when asked whether he feels that his speakership is being challenged, Boehner said: "No, heaven's sakes, no. Not at all."

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has been making the rounds on the Hill this week, urging lawmakers to keep his department open.

(National journal, feb 26th)

http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/john-boehner-blows-kisses-to-the-press-won-t-budge-on-dhs-20150226



Americans React to the ‘USS Gabrielle Giffords’

Former democratic politician and noted gun control advocate Gabrielle Giffords took to Facebook Thursday to preview the recently built military combat ship named in her honor.

The Navy vessel, an Independence-class littoral combat ship, has been shrouded in controversy since the name was announced in February of 2012.

Multiple high-ranking military officials, including retired Rear Admiral George Worthington, the former commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, argued that an actual member of the military, such as Medal of Honor winner Dakota Meyer, would be a more appropriate recipient.

“Here is the issue. There are a lot of dead Marines out there whose names could go on anything that appears to be an amphibious ship,” Worthington told the Daily Caller. “We think fallen Marines and perhaps supporting sailors should go on fantails before random victims.”

Now, with the ship preparing to launch by the end of 2015, Americans and military personnel are once again reacting to the controversial decision.

“She has done nothing to earn her name on a ship. A lying politician,” a Facebook user said on Gifford’s post. “Naming of ships is reserved for those who fought or served valiantly for our country. Battleships are named after states. Carriers named after presidents and others named after naval personnel. (Posthumously). This woman is neither naval personnel nor KIA in battle.”

Giffords, who was a shooting victim in 2011, has been an adamant gun control activist, calling for the ban of semiautomatic rifles while she and her husband secretly purchase and fire the exact weapons they’re trying to outlaw.

Noting the USS Gabrielle Giffords’ role as a “combat ship,” countless other Facebook users commented on what they felt was pure hypocrisy.

“Are you going to put squirt guns on it?” a commenter said. “Better make sure the ship only has less than ten rounds on board.”

“Will this ship be limited from having the ability to have weapons installed?” another said. “Those men and women serving on that warship are having their very own rights of owning a firearm by the mouth breather the vessel is named after, what a joke.”

Others supported and congratulated Giffords while echoing her views on gun control and the Second Amendment.

“Restriction of firearms is a huge step to protect our children,” one woman said. “A Navy ship protects our nation.”

(Infowars, feb 26th)

http://www.infowars.com/americans-react-to-the-uss-gabrielle-giffords/




A leading Republican candidate for Missouri's governor's office died in an apparent suicide on Thursday morning.

Thomas Schweich, the 54-year-old state auditor who'd just won a second term while running unopposed in 2014, was pronounced deceased from a single gunshot wound, possibly self-infliction, according to a Clayton Police Department press release.

Detectives are conducting an investigation and an autopsy is pending, authorities said.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Schweich's wife, who was in another room, heard him making phone calls -- and then a gunshot. It happened just hours after Schweich had requested interviews with the Post-Dispatch and The Associated Press at his home.

Missouri Republican Party Chairman John Hancock asked for prayers for Schweich's family.

"I am in utter shock at the news of Tom Schweich's tragic passing. Tom will be remembered as a tenacious, energetic, effective elected official who worked tirelessly on behalf of the citizens of this state and this nation," he said. "I ask all Missourians to join me in praying for Tom's family."

In October, Schweich launched an audit of municipal courts in Ferguson and six other cities, an initiative that had bipartisan support, according to St. Louis Public Radio.

"More and more officials have become concerned about the abuse of the traffic court system for revenue generation purposes rather than for safety, justice and efficiency purposes," Schweich told reporters at the time.

(CNN, feb 26th)

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/26/politics/missouri-politician-suicide/index.html




WAR ON ISLAMIC STATE_______________


ISIS Abducts 220 Christian Civilians, Burns Two Churches in Syria

In their latest terror campaign, ISIS militants in Syria have rounded up 220 Christian civilians in the past three days, according to reports Thursday from the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The jihadists also burned two Christian churches during their raids.

The kidnappings took place in 11 different villages in the Tal Tamir countryside in al-Hasakah. The Observatory states that the prisoners have been taken to the Abd al-Aziz mount to the southwest of Tal Tamir.

“These were peaceful villages that had nothing to do with the battles,” said Nasir Haj Mahmoud, a Kurdish official in the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, in northeastern Syria.

Mahmoud said that some Christians are fighting under the YPG in Hasaka province, but not in that area.

On Tuesday, Islamic State militants moved toward al-Hasakah’s southern border and abducted upwards of 70 Christians from the village of Tal Shamiram.

In an attempt to liberate the captives, mediators from Arabian tribes along with an unnamed Assyrian are endeavoring to negotiate with the kidnappers.

According to reports, in recent days ISIS has taken control of ten villages in the Tal Tamir area, resulting in widespread displacement of Christian citizens.

“We cannot give a specific number of Assyrians that have fled, but it hasn’t been a very large number of people, because Assyrians are a very small minority in Syria,” said Rami Abdul Rahman of the Observatory. “The only areas where Assyrians are left, even before the war, is in Hasakah province and small villages surrounding there.”

According to the Observatory, some Syrian Christians are fighting back against ISIS.

The Syriac Military Council is an Assyrian Christian militia (MFS), the armed wing of the Mesopotamia National Council (MUB), which represents the Assyrian Christians in Syria, who are located primarily in the northeastern al-Hasakah province.

The MFS is the only fighting group representing just the Assyrian population, and has some 800 soldiers who work in tandem with the YPG.

“For me, I just want the Islamic State to know that despite how many people they kill, bomb our churches, we are Assyrian Christians, we will never leave our people here or our country,” said Matai Nazha, a 20-year-old fighter.

On Wednesday, Kurdish militia managed to cut off one of ISIS’ supply lines from Iraq. A Kurdish official who wished to remain nameless said the YPG had taken control of a main road linking Tel Hamis with al-Houl, a town near the Iraqi border. He described the road as the “main artery” for the Islamic State.

“We believe we will finish the battle of Tel Hamis in this campaign,” he said.

(Breitbart, feb 26th)

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/02/26/isis-abducts-220-christian-civilians-burns-two-churches-in-syria/




Following New York Arrests, FBI Says ISIS In All 50 States

Following the sensationalized arrest of three men in New York, FBI director James Comey urged Americans to inform on their neighbors if they are perceived to be “acting in strange ways.”

As reported by Infowars.com yesterday, the men busted for allegedly posting threats against Obama were shepherded by the FBI. This is now the case in virtually all the terrorist cases the government sensationalizes for political effect.

Murtaza Hussain, writing for The Intercept, details the extent an informant helped Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, and Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, plan a trip to Syria to join ISIS.

“The covert informant under the direction of the FBI evidently helped encourage the two towards terrorism over the course of these months. Instead of dissuading them, the informant went so far as to watch recruitment videos with the 19-year old Saidakhmetov and help him make his travel documents,” Hussain writes.

As lurid news reports detailing the supposed danger posed by a “radicalized” teenager and a 24 year old droned over the corporate media, FBI boss Comey told the National Association of Attorneys General terror “isn’t a New York phenomenon or a Washington phenomenon,” but a phenomenon in every state of the Union.

“We have investigations of people in various stages of radicalizing in all 50 states,” Comey said.

He said the threat of domestic terror is active “in ways that are very hard to see” and the FBI depends on information sharing between state and local law enforcement and the federal government.

(infowars, feb 26th)

http://www.infowars.com/following-new-york-arrests-fbi-says-isis-in-all-50-states/



Jihadi John Connected to British Intelligence

Emwazi is said to be the executioner in a number of ISIS videos, according to the U.S. government. The legitimacy of the beheading productions are disputed by experts.

According to The Daily Mail, Emwazi claimed the “MI5 knew ‘everything about me; where I lived, what I did, and the people I hanged around with’ and claimed the organization attempted to ‘turn’ him to work for them.”

Emwazi claimed to have been harassed and intimidated by security services in 2009 when he flew to Tanzania with friends on a safari. He was arrested in Dar es Salaam and sent back to Britain. In a stop over in Amsterdam, however, an MI5 agent allegedly accused him of trying to reach Somalia to join the terrorist group Al Shabaab.

According to the Daily Mail, Emwazi filed a harassment claim with the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

The following year, Emwazi was arrested when he returned to Britain from his native Kuwait. He was subsequently placed on a terror watch list.

(infowars, feb 26th)

http://www.infowars.com/jihadi-john-connected-to-british-intelligence/




Swedish ‘Immigrant Assimilation Guides’ Accused of Recruiting for Islamic State

The Swedish government has been forced to shut down its “assimilation guide service” after discovering that several of its aides may have been trying to recruit immigrants for Islamic State.

The assimilation guides, who were employed by Sweden’s state job agency Arbetsformedlingen, have been accused of taking bribes and making “recruitment attempts to militant fighting groups”, and have all been fired with immediate effect.

The agency’s general director Mikael Sjöberg told Sweden’s Expressen newspaper: “We have received indication that there have been instances of recruitment attempts or contact-making situations related to various militant fighting groups.”

(breitbart, feb 26th)

http://www.breitbart.com/london/2015/02/26/swedish-immigrant-assimilation-guides-accused-of-recruiting-for-islamic-state/





GLOBAL CONFLICTS_________________


Kerry: U.S. Aware of Illicit Iranian Nuke Facility

Secretary of State John Kerry admitted before Congress on Wednesday that the United States is aware of a secret Iranian facility that an Iranian opposition group identified this week as part of an undisclosed parallel nuclear program.

The group, the National Council of the Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has a history of disclosing the existence of Iranian nuclear facilities that the United States has been later forced to confirm were indeed part of a clandestine nuclear program.

Kerry, under questioning before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, acknowledged that the United States has evidence of the facility, but declined to elaborate to lawmakers about its nature.

“Did the [Iranian] regime tell us about existence of this new nuclear facility,” Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R., Calif.) asked Kerry at the hearing.

“What you’re saying is it’s a nuclear facility,” Kerry responded. “That is yet to be determined, but we know about the facility, yes.”

“So had they disclosed that facility to us?” Rohrabacher asked.

“It has not been revealed yet as a nuclear facility,” Kerry insisted. “It is a facility that we are aware of, which is on a list of facilities we have. I’m not going to go into greater detail, but these things are going to have to be resolved [in negotiations] as we go forward.”

(free beacon, feb 25th)

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/kerry-u-s-aware-of-illicit-iranian-nuke-facility/



Top Ukrainian Nazi Visits U.S. Congress, Pentagon, Seeks Weapons for Ukraine

The Deputy Speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, Andriy Parubiy, who had been the co-founder of the Nazi-inspired Social Nationalist Party of Ukraine, met in Washington on Wednesday, February 25th, with members of the U.S. House and Senate who support his request that the U.S. Government donate weapons to his virtually bankrupt Government. Parubiy also visited with the Pentagon. Weapons are needed by his Government because his Government is engaged in a civil war against the residents in the area of Ukraine that had voted 90% for the former Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, whom Parubiy himself (when he was called “the Mayor of Maidan”) led to overthrow in a violent February 2014 coup.

(Infowars, feb 26th)

http://www.infowars.com/top-ukrainian-nazi-visits-u-s-congress-pentagon-seeks-weapons-for-ukraine/



Athens: first anti-gov’t protest by far-left ANTARSYA turns ugly

The first anti-government rally in Athens turned ugly as anti-authoritarian protesters started to smash the windows of a pastry shop and two jewelry shops and put two vehicles and several garbage bins on fire.

(AP, feb 26th)

http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2015/02/26/athens-first-anti-govt-protest-by-far-left-antarsya-tomorrow-communists-turn




POLICE STATE____________________



VIDEO: Here’s What It Looks Like To Be Stomped On By A Jackboot Thug Cop

A man in Massachusetts is suing police in Amherst after he was attacked for filming officers using excessive force while making an arrest.

Thomas Donovan, a legal studies student at the University of Massachusetts, is pressing ahead with the civil rights lawsuit, alleging that his First Amendment rights were infringed.

Donovan was pepper sprayed and hit with batons by police dressed in riot gear as they cracked down on students during an annual day of St. Patrick’s Day related festivities in Amherst.

The video clearly shows that Donovan was not interfering with police making the arrest. Indeed, he was on the other side of a fence which cops had to walk around in order to assault him.

(Infowars, feb 26th)

http://www.infowars.com/heres-what-it-looks-like-to-be-stomped-on-by-a-jackboot-thug-cop-video/



A Houston police officer is coming under fire for his actions captured on camera during an encounter with an open-carry activist.

The video, uploaded to Youtube Monday by gun rights group Open Carry Texas, depicts a Houston police officer approaching, then harassing a man who is openly displaying an AR 15 rifle, which is perfectly legal in Texas.

“The officer says he received complaints from people who did not know the law about a person carrying a rifle,” according to the video’s description.

In the video, the unidentified Houston officer attempts to persuade a Second Amendment activist wearing a kilt to present identification because he is walking around with “a gun strapped on his hip,” which the man refuses to do.

After the man explains to the officer, “I do not consent to questioning,” the irritated cop fires back, “Look you can try this constitutional crap all you want, but I got news for ya. I’m part of that three percent you’re trying to represent, but you ain’t doing nothing but f*ck it up for everybody else right now, you got me?”

During the encounter, another officer grabs the man’s camera and turns it away from the action, claiming she “didn’t want it to slide off the hood.”

When the man still refuses to identify himself, the officer replies, “You can try all you want with your Constitutional bulls*it alright? But you don’t know your rights as well as you think you do.”

The man is then detained in the back of a squad car while the officer phones the District Attorney, who cannot find a reason to arrest the man.

“Right (after meeting) you can hear it plain as day, the officer says you’re not under arrest and you’re not being detained,” an activist with Open Carry Texas, David Amad, told CBS affiliate KHOU.

(Infowars, feb 26th)

http://www.infowars.com/cop-confronts-open-carry-activist-for-engaging-in-constitutional-crap-bullsht/



Baltimore Police are speaking out about the actions of an officer, caught on camera punching an unarmed 19-year-old in the face just before his arrest.

Derek Valcourt has learned more about what happened and the video you’ll see only on WJZ.

Tonight Baltimore Police tell WJZ that the officer is still on active duty while police investigate.

Cell phone video from Monday afternoon shows Baltimore Police Officer Brad Chenoweth order a group of people to move along from in front of a McDonald’s at Howard and Fayette Street. That’s when a confrontation with 19-year-old Antonio Moore breaks out.

(CBS baltimore, feb 26th)

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/02/25/investigation-launched-after-video-shows-officer-punching-man-in-the-face/





INTERNET___________________


President Obama to reddit: Thanks for your help on net neutrality

Following Thursday's vote at the Federal Communications Commission on net neutrality, President Obama and the White House are thanking the coalition of open-Internet advocates and others who flooded the FCC with comments on the proposal supporting the agency's rules.

Obama specifically sent a note to the reddit community, which organized an outpouring of support for net neutrality rules after a user named TheArmedGamer posted a call for comments on the site. The company also asked redditors to participate in a call-a-thon with activist groups to petition Congress and the FCC to support strong net neutrality regulations. Alexis Ohanian, reddit's co-founder and executive chairman, personally manned the phones for three hours.

In a company blog post, Ohanian also thanked the reddit community. "A year ago, they said it'd be futile. Today, we defeated opponents of net neutrality who have spent tens of millions of dollars every year lobbying government," the post said. "We defeated them by spending our time. Thank you."

(washington post, feb 26th)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/02/26/president-obama-to-reddit-thanks-for-your-help-on-net-neutrality/



5G researchers manage record connection speed

Researchers at the University of Surrey's 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) managed one terabit per second (Tbps) - many thousands of times faster than current data connections.

The head of the 5GIC said he hoped to demonstrate the technology to the public in 2018.

Ofcom has said 5G could be available in Britain by 2020.

At 1Tbps, it would be theoretically possible to download a file 100 times the size of a feature film in about three seconds. The speed is more than 65,000 times faster than average 4G download speeds.

It is also far in excess of the previous best achieved in tests: Samsung's 7.5 gigabits per second (Gbps), which is less than 1% of the Surrey team's speed.

According to news website V3, 5GIC director Prof Rahim Tafazolli said: "We have developed 10 more breakthrough technologies and one of them means we can exceed 1Tbps wirelessly. This is the same capacity as fibreoptics but we are doing it wirelessly."

(BBC, feb 25th)

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31622297



Google's Quiet Dominance Over The 'Ad Tech' Industry

A few months ago, display advertising on the Internet mysteriously vanished for more than an hour. On more than 55,000 websites such as BuzzFeed and Forbes, spaces that usually display advertisements went blank. It turned out that Google’s behemoth online advertising platform, DoubleClick, was to blame. The DoubleClick ad server had crashed, disrupting the entire infrastructure by which advertisers buy billions of dollars of ads across millions of websites.

Think about it: In an era of global competition, one company’s network crash broke the Internet.

The crash was a stark reminder of how an established player like Google has quietly achieved dominance over the so-called “ad tech” industry, the multi-billion dollar economic backbone that supports the vast majority of “free” content and services online.

The exponential growth of the Internet over the past decade is the direct result of advertising that enables Internet publishers to monetize their content. Ad tech makes this possible by helping companies track, serve and measure the effectiveness of ads online. Without a healthy, competitive ad tech industry, much of the free online content we use every day would go behind paywalls or disappear altogether.

Google’s efforts to dominate ad tech and squeeze out competitors is bringing that potentially ominous future closer to reality.

Piece by piece, Google has assembled a dominant position at each critical juncture in the complex ad tech infrastructure. Google imposes restrictions on publishers and advertisers alike to force them into committing exclusively to Google’s end-to-end ad tech pipeline, making it more difficult for smaller companies to retain their footing or for new innovative companies to enter. Industry observers warned the Federal Trade Commission about this prospect several years ago, and the agency vowed to keep a close watch. But the FTC has failed to rein in Google’s aggressive behavior, at least so far.

Internet advertising has exploded in recent years, driven primarily by technologies that allow advertisers to target ads precisely and in real-time to specific groups (e.g., 30-year old men in Massachusetts driving Toyotas) regardless of what sites members of those groups are visiting.

(Forbes, feb 26th)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2015/02/26/googles-quiet-dominance-over-the-ad-tech-industry/



Facebook Adds New Gender Option for Users: Fill in the Blank

Facebook users who don't fit any of the 58 gender identity options offered by the social media giant are now being given a rather big 59th option: fill in the blank.

(AP, feb 26th)

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/facebook-adds-gender-option-users-fill-blank-29245549




HEALTH_________________


This is what it's like to be dead, according to a guy who died for a bit

A man who died twice for about two minutes at a time, once from a motorcycle accident, once from an overdose of painkillers, gave an AMA on Reddit today and fielded questions on his experience.

"I had no idea, it was just black emptiness. No thoughts, no consciousness, nothing.

"Both times I was just "not there". It was just all black. I would describe it as when you take a nap. A short nap with no dream, you wake up and it feels like you've been sleeping a long time, when in reality it's only been about 15 minutes.

"The only reason I know is because the doctors were obligated to share the information with me. "So yeah, you were dead for a couple of minutes, just FYI" hahaha.

"So if the doctors wouldn't have said anything I would've just thought that I took a dreamless nap."

"It was definitely not just a gap. Much like a dreamless nap, you don't just wake up and feel like time just jumped ahead. You know that you've been asleep for a while. At the same time, you can't really remember experiencing anything at all, unless you had a dream.

"So yes and no. I experienced something, and that something was nothing."

(Independent, feb 26th)

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/this-is-what-its-like-to-be-dead-according-to-a-guy-who-died-for-a-bit-10068959.html



The economic costs from the psychological affliction of depression have gotten significantly larger in recent years—and people suffering from that condition were hit particularly hard by the 2008 financial crisis, a new study has found.

Annual costs related to major depressive disorder rose to $210.5 billion in 2010, according to the study published Wednesday in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. That represents a 21 percent increase over the $173.3 billion in overall annual economic fallout linked to sufferers of the disorder as of 2005, the report noted.

"The current study adds to our understanding of MDD as a source of significant economic burden," the report's authors wrote.

The report, which drew on data from insurance claims in the OptumHealth Reporting and Insights database, leads off with the observation that in the U.S., depression "is the leading cause of disability for people aged 15-44, resulting in almost 400 million disability days per year, substantially more than more other physical and mental conditions."

(CNBC, 25th)

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102454896



Gov. Charlie Baker has demanded and received the resignations of four members of the state Health Connector board, including MIT Professor Jonathan Gruber, who touched off a national uproar late last year with videotaped comments about misleading marketing of the Affordable Care Act and derogatory remarks about the intelligence of the American people.

Gruber was appointed to the board in 2006 by then Governor Mitt Romney and re-appointed by Governor Deval Patrick. The other three board members asked to resign – John Bertko, Rick Jakious and George Gonser – were all original Patrick appointees.

(CBS boston, feb 25th)

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/02/25/gov-baker-calls-for-resignation-of-gruber-at-health-connector/



Law Requiring California Parents To Vaccinate Their Children Likely To Pass

Last Thursday, a state law was introduced that, if passed, will eliminate the “personal belief” exception to California’s vaccination law.

Right now, under California law there are two ways to get out of having a child vaccinated: one is if you have a medical reason, and two is if you have a “personal belief” that prevents vaccination. The law proposed last week would leave that medical exception in place and get rid of that “personal belief” part.

(CBS san francisco, feb 23rd)

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/02/23/measles-vaccine-children-school-california/



It’s happening under the leadership of the US Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS):“The Adult Immunization Plan.”

The goal of the Plan? To vastly increase the number of adults in the US who are vaccinated against diseases in accordance with the CDC schedule of vaccines.

Here are key quotes from the Plan:

“The HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities includes a measure to increase the percentage of the minority population who receive the seasonal influenza vaccination.”

Translation: The government cares about minorities, and to prove it these persons will be injected with a variety of germs and toxic chemicals.

“Increase the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and immunization information systems (IIS) to collect and track adult immunization data.”

Translation: expose confidential patient medical records to many doctors and government agencies, in order to discover all adults who aren’t up to speed on their vaccinations—and therefore must get the shots. Goodbye, privacy. Goodbye, unencumbered free choice.

“Educate and encourage other groups (e.g., community and faith-based groups) to promote the importance of adult immunization…A variety of networks can be leveraged, including faith-based and community organizations and individual trusted leaders.”

Translation: Step up government-initiated propaganda at all levels of society, in order to convince adults to come forward and receive their injections.

“All healthcare professionals must ensure that adult patients are fully immunized.”

Translation: During every office visit, doctors must check the vaccination status of their adult patients and pressure them to take their injections.

“The Affordable Care Act [Obamacare]…will help make prevention [vaccination] affordable and accessible for all Americans by requiring health plans to cover preventive [vaccination] services…”

Translation: Increased taxes and the rabid printing of new money will ensure that many more Americans are injected with a variety of germs and toxic chemicals.

(Infowars, feb 26th)

http://www.infowars.com/adult-immunization-push-medical-dictatorship/



The term ‘GM food’ should be abandoned, say politicians who are calling for an extraordinary rebranding exercise.

MPs on the science and technology select committee has demanded a ‘reframing of the public conversation’ about genetically modified food.

In an inflammatory report today, it says the GM label has become a ‘lightning rod’ for fears about designer crops.

It says the term should be reserved for plants created using the most basic form of genetic engineering, with many newer methods excluded. Anti-GM groups accused MPs of trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the public.

(daily mail, feb 26th)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2969566/Call-GM-food-ease-public-fears-say-MPs-Report-says-label-lightning-rod-fears-designer-crops.html




6 things you're dying to ask about head transplants

Why are we calling this procedure a head transplant rather than a body transplant?

The head transplant moniker is partly a hangover from monkey and dog experiments of the last century. This was how the surgeons that carried out those experiments referred to the procedure, and it stuck.
Technically, calling it a body transplant would be more accurate because the head is representative of the person receiving the new body part. But be careful, it's not a whole body transplant. That term is usually used to describe a procedure in which the brain of one organism is transplanted into the body – and skull – of another.
By calling Sergio Canavero's proposed surgery a head transplant it makes it clearer that this involves the head and the brain inside.

What's the difference between brain and head transplants?

A brain transplant would involve removing the brain from the skull and placing it in a donor skull. It is more difficult than a head transplant because of the complex surgery to separate the brain and blood supply without damaging delicate tissue.

Could the transplant technique work for a cryogenically frozen head?

No. The proposed technique requires a healthy human head and brain. It is not yet known whether it is possible to "defrost" a cryogenically frozen head and resurrect healthy brain tissue.

Would the surgery be psychologically damaging?

Some people who have received face or limb transplants mourn the loss of their old body part or feel that their self image is conflicted. Studies show that inputs from our body, such as a heartbeat or rumbling stomach, can influence our will power, emotions and languageMovie Camera. Who knows whether the person who comes out of the operating room would be the same as the one who went in.

Would there be any benefits apart from getting a healthier body?

If the recipient head is older than the donor body, they may get a rejuvenating boost. Infusions of young blood can raise physical endurance and cognitive function in older animals. A study is now seeing if young blood has the same effect on people with Alzheimer's.

I'm a registered organ donor. Could my body be used for this?

Each country has its own rules. In the UK, joining the register would not automatically allow your body to be used. "If a person needs something not specified on our forms, we would ask a potential donor's family to consent," says an NHS spokesperson. "We would only approach a family if the planned procedure had ethical approval."

(new scientist, feb 25th)

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27035-6-things-youre-dying-to-ask-about-head-transplants.htm




MISCELLANEOUS NEWS___________________



After last week’s holiday-shortened exuberance over initial jobless claims, this week’s slam back to reality is quite a shock to the “everything is awesome” crowd. Initial jobless claims jumped 31,000 to 313,000 – the biggest percentage rise since December 2013. Continuing claims dropped modestly but remain up around 3.5% over the last quarter – near the worst since 2009. Continuing claims dropped modestly this week but the quarterly trend has shifted…

(zero hedge, feb 26th)

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-26/initial-jobless-claims-surge-most-2013



Astronomers have discovered the largest and most luminous black hole ever seen — an ancient monster with a mass about 12 billion times that of the sun — that dates back to when the universe was less than 1 billion years old.

Supermassive black holes are thought to lurk in the hearts of most, if not all, large galaxies. The largest black holes found so far in the nearby universe have masses more than 10 billion times that of the sun. In comparison, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way is thought to have a mass only 4 million to 5 million times that of the sun.

(space.com, feb 26th)

http://www.space.com/28664-monster-black-hole-largest-brightest-ever.html



Madonna Falls During Satanic Performance at Brit Awards

Too old to worship Lucifer?

56 year old Madonna fell down a set of stairs during the performance. Note the costumes of her follow performers:

(infowars, feb 26th)

http://www.infowars.com/madonna-falls-during-satanic-performance-at-brit-awards/



Kardashian Family Signs $100M Deal to Stay on E! for Four More Years

Having Kardashian fatigue? Buckle up, because television’s most camera-happy coterie has just signed a $100 million dollar deal with E! to stay on television for at least another four years.

According to a report from Page Six, Kris Jenner inked the four-year deal, which will bring Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney, as well as Kylie and Kendall Jenner back for four more seasons of scripted reality.

Don’t expect dad Bruce Jenner to make any cameos, though, as he is not a part of the deal, and will instead star in his own series on the network, which will document his transition from a man to a woman some time this year.

(breitbart, feb 26th)

http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2015/02/26/kardashians-sign-100m-deal-to-stay-on-e-for-four-more-years/